GEORGE W. KELHAM

Background

George W. Kelham was born in 1871 at Manchester, Massachusetts, United States.

Education

He was educated at Harvard University, in 1896 he completed an architectural training at the Paris Ecole des Beaux Arts.

Career

After beginning work in New York, in 1898 he secured a position in the office of Trowbridge & Livingston, a firm recently appointed architects of the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. In 1906 Kelham was sent to supervise the erection of the structure, and following its completion decided to remain in the city. Opening an office for independent practice, he carried on work alone during a long and successful career, identified with the design of several important buildings. Among his notable achievements in architecture was the Public Library, completed in 1917; Standard Oil Building, 1921; Bohemian Club: Federal Reserve Bank, 1922; Russ Building, 1927, and the Shell Oil Building, 1929. Mr. Kelham also designed the Continental National Bank at Salt Lake City, Utah, and Bank buildings erected in Stockton and Oakland, Calif.

Appointed Supervising Architect of the University of California in 1922, he prepared a campus plan for the proposed southern branch at Los Angeles (currently known as ‘U. C. L. A.") also designed four of the first buildings, the Library, Royce Hall, Chemistry Building, 1927-28, and the Education Building, 1929-30. In addition he supervised erection of later buildings there designed by the Los Angeles firm of Allison & Allison, after his death appointed official architects of the University.

Works

More photos

• Other Work

  • Palace Hotel in San Francisco

  • Standard Oil Building

    1921

Membership

In the early 1930's he was a member of he Commission in charge of the San Francisco Bay Exposition.